You guys, I used to be bad at making cookies.

But look at those beauties, no way I fail at making cookies anymore.  I figured out my problem.  When I bake cookies, I try to make them "healthy cookies."  Substituting ingredients, swapping things around, and it never works in my favor.  No matter how scientifically I think about it.  So I went with my gut, and decided that I would make real-deal cookies.  The kind that has butter and sugar and lots of amazing fillings.  Because everything in moderation, right?  Let's just say moderation was tricky with these bad boys because they were "so good you have to hide them in the freezer cookies."  

So like I said before, when I get too experimental with a cookie recipe, it never works out in my favor.  I have to give credit to Jessica, because her oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe is literally the best.  I used her recipe and made a few tweaks to it to give it that coffee, walnut and sea salt flare you're oh so curious about.  I have to also give credit to Cait as well because I was scouring the web to see who else had done this before and she's clearly a coffee lover like me.  

So I see so much potential for creating new types of cookies with the base of this cookie recipe.  I've already had requests for trail mix cookies.  Which is actually one of my favorite types of cookies.  You know, putting allllll the dried fruit and nuts into the cookie?  But not raisins, because I hate raisins.  If you love them, I apologize.  But don't add them to the coffee cookies, because that would be weird.

I've got a chocolate recipe that your heart will fall in love with...

So today is Recipe Redux day and you know what that means.  I'm blogging with a theme:
Favorite Chocolate Matches
Does your chocolate need a friend? This month’s posting will be after Valentine’s Day, so you may have a bit of extra chocolate around. What’s your favorite chocolate match? Be it traditional peanut butter or something more exotic like cayenne + chocolate. Show us your favorite healthy chocolate combo recipe.

I was going to share this recipe with you this month anyway, because after demoing it at a wellness center earlier this month, I fell in love.  My heart fell in love; literally and figuratively.  For those of you who didn't know, February is heart health month.    This recipe is very heart healthy, and I like it when my heart is healthy.  Don't you?  

I'll tell you the truth when I first saw people of the internet making puddings with avocados, I was quite skeptical.  Like how could chocolate and avocado actually pair together?  How could you get a pudding our mousse from something that grows from the ground?  Well, it works.  Avocados are rich, creamy and blend up in the food processor to creamy perfection.  Full of heart healthy fats, you can feel good about eating this pudding and there is NO DAIRY IN IT.  That's right!  So I guess you could say for those of you who follow special diets, that it's pretty much appropriate for everyone:  paleo, vegan, vegetarian, dairy free.  I think people who don't like fun are the only ones who'll be opting out of this recipe.  

While I think the avocado and chocolate make pretty great friends, you can absolutely jazz this up with even more exciting flavor pairings.  I like adding cinnamon, which you'll see in the recipe below.  A little sweet and a little spicy...it's perfect.  But you could change the flavor however you want!  Use coconut milk to get a coconut and chocolate pairing.  Add ginger.  The options are endless.  If you want to be super sneaky, serve this one to kids and don't tell them what the secret ingredient is until after they tell you it's awesome.  After you thank me for getting your kids to eat something green, tell me what your favorite chocolate pairing is!

I'm pretty sure a bunch of over-ripened bananas is the universal signal for, "bake me!"

I mean, aren't we all guilty?  Secretly letting our perfectly ripe bananas over-ripen so we can justify why we made cookies, bread, pancakes, muffins...you get the idea.  We tell ourselves it's totally fine because...fruit.  I can picture how this would go over if my mother were here.  
Mom:  "Did you really need to bake cookies?"  
Me:  "Why would I waste bananas?"
See what I mean?  The perfect excuse.

I don't know if your family has the same problem as my family.  If someone were to bake muffins, or bring muffins into the house, mysteriously, all the muffin tops seem to disappear.  Kind of like the crust to a good loaf of bread seems to disappear, and the crunchy topping on a casserole gets picked off the top.  We are a crunchy, crust loving, topping eating family.  I think it's just who we are.  That's why when Panera invented the muffie, I pretty much fell in love.  It basically solved all my dilemmas.  No more bottom of the muffin waste; the perfect part of the muffin AKA the top is the only part of the muffin when you eat a muffie.  It's pure genius.  

Kind of how my family has a love affair with muffin tops, we have a similar love affair with coffee.  I blame my dad for that one.  Always asking if we wanted coffee at weird times like 2pm.  Who needs coffee at 2pm?  Wait, that's what I used to say.  Now, coffee pretty much runs through my veins.  I drink it all the time.  ALL DAY LONG.  When they invent an IV drip for coffee, sign me up.  I'll overcome my fear of needles for coffee.  A coffee draught would be pretty much the worst thing ever.  I wouldn't survive.  Not having a baked good to eat with my coffee is a close second to the worst thing ever.  Don't worry though.  These cookies are like a cross between the best muffie you've ever eaten, and the best cookie you've ever eaten.  I think they make the perfect partner in crime for your cup of mid-afternoon joe.  I think they are more muffiny than cookie-like but they are certainly 100% delicious.  

Pumpkin is still in style, right?  

Okay... good.  I'd be so depressed if it wasn't.  It wouldn't stop me from eating it though.  If you've been following my blog, you know I have a love (and partial obsession) with ALL THE PUMPKIN foods.  I'm not ashamed to admit it.  I mean, I'm bringing you yet another pumpkin themed recipe, right?  You also probably know of my love and partial obsession of coffee.  I promise there's a connection here. 

Coffee Emporium happens to be the place back home that also sells my all time favorite chocolate chip scones.  Is your mouth watering?  Mine is.  Well they were out of them the day I stopped in.  It's fine.  They also happen to make these amazing pumpkin rice crispy treats.  Except I was really lucky that day because they were out of those too.  So instead of crying about my bad luck (because of course, on my way back to my parents house after the Coffee Emporium stop, I got a flat tire on the highway), I decided I'd just make my own version of the pumpkin rice crispy treats (plus chocolate, obviously) when I got back to Peoria.  Seems my luck must have turned around at some point because they turned out pretty great, which is why I'm sharing the recipe with you.  Enjoy!

I took your donut craving to the next level.  Well.. maybe my donut craving.
 

Consider this recipe 1 of my "Thanksgiving and Holiday" themed recipes.  These are the lazy man's donuts.  The poor man's donuts.  AND, they are super easy to make.  They may not be quick, or healthy, but they sure are delicious.  If you ask me, anything you make yourself automatically feels healthier, so win number one.  And since these are sweet potato donuts, lots of vitamin A from those little orange guys.  So, "healthy," right?  That's win number two.  

Anybody who's known me for even a second knows donuts are my forever food.  The one thing I could eat copious amounts of and never get sick of.  They also know I like things that are easy to make and require minimal clean-up.  These satisfy my craving for donuts and my desire for easy clean-up.  Let me introduce to you the drop donut.  There are drop biscuits, and drop rolls, so why not drop donuts?  They are easy, rustic, and all the little nooks and crannies get super crispy.  It's just wonderful.

So here's the deal.  This time of year, sweet potatoes can be purchased in a can.  Now I'm not advocating for the canned version, but it's an option if time is of the essence.  You could also use canned pumpkin.  But sweet potato is fun, it's different, and let's face it it's delicious.  To make these donuts, dough is dropped in hot oil by the tablespoon.  They fry until golden brown.  When they are done, they get tossed in pumpkin pie spiced sugar.  What could be better?

Now if you've made it this far, you're probably thinking... why is a future dietitian promoting eating donuts?  I'm not forcing you to eat these.  In fact, you don't have to make them at all.  But, delicious things bring happiness and happy things are allowed in moderation.  Just promise me you won't eat all of them and you won't eat them every day.  Then we are good.  These donuts would make a great snack on Thanksgiving or just a great fall treat any time of day.  So what are you waiting for, get cooking!